In 2015, one chapter of our life closed, and a new chapter opened for my wife Claudia and me. We sold our home, changed course and went “all in” by moving aboard our new-to-us 1981, 43-foot Viking aft cabin cruiser. Thus, began a grand adventure as full-time cruisers exploring our country from the perspective of Read More
Wilmington to Southport, NC
A palpable depth and richness embrace visitors to the southern coast of North Carolina. Cruising from the urbane city of Wilmington south through coastal beach communities with their own distinct personalities, you are greeted with a casual welcoming atmosphere. Even if you’ve never been here, it will feel like familiar territory. The region has hosted more Read More
The Ultimate Lockdown: Sailing to Portugal
Kia Koropp and her husband John Daubeny have been cruising the Pacific, Southeast Asia and Indian Ocean for the past decade with their two young children onboard their 50’ Ganley Solution yacht, Atea. Starting in 2011 from their homeport in Auckland, New Zealand, they have sailed Atea 40,000 miles to their current location in the north Atlantic, having just Read More
Cruising Dream – Turn It Into Reality
Truthfully, I wasn’t always confident that my full-time cruising dream would ever become a reality. I was petrified of failure but thirsted for a lifestyle I knew existed outside my orbit. Taken as a whole, the detailed legwork, crucial boating skills and financial commitment necessary for success seemed unsurmountable for a rookie sailor like myself. Read More
Cabrito Anyone?
“Ferocious with life” was writer John Steinbeck’s description of Mexico’s Sea of Cortez. The 760-mile long Baja Peninsula is a ribbon of majestic mountains flanked on one side by the vast Pacific Ocean and the other by a turquoise sea, dotted with islands. Cactus and scorpions dominate the arid landscape while the warm waters teem with Read More
Santa Catalina to Marina del Rey, CA
SANTA CATALINA IS an island retreat off the coast of Southern California. During the past 7,000 years, the island has been inhabited by a fabulous cast of characters: Native Americans, smugglers, gold diggers, pirates, Union soldiers, missionaries and movie stars. More than 500 films, commercials and TV shows have been shot on Catalina. Since 1919, the Read More
Sailing Long Winded
LAST JUNE, my fiancé Josh and I settled on our new home together. Except this home wasn’t at our preferred location. And this home wasn’t a house. We just bought a new-to-us 1981 S2 9.2 center cockpit sailboat, named Sur la Mer. We got her from her second owners in Forked River, NJ, just off of Read More
Dry Tortugas – A Grand Adventure
CRUISING TO THE Dry Tortugas National Park by boat can be the most challenging part of this amazing destination. Locals warn about two seasons: Winter Storm (December-March) that features high winds and rough seas, and Tropical Storm (June-November), that features more of the same. April and May are known to be delightful. We’d talked about Read More
Homeschool Daze
AFTER 10 YEARS OF planning and preparing for the adventure of a lifetime, we cast off from San Francisco aboard our 33-foot sailboat named Chewbacca. Our crew consisted of me, my husband Bruce, and our five and seven-year-old daughters. When we embarked on our first offshore passage as a family, I should have been giddy Read More
Kodiak Island, Alaska – Cruising with Members
Days after returning from a trip to Kodiak Island, Alaska, I experienced an uncontrollable urge to stop the car whenever I glimpsed something red in the bushes along the side of the road. This curious habit developed because of the little raspberry-like, orange-colored salmonberry. We found our first of these miniature grape-shaped globes while hiking Read More